Newark Life Spring/Summer 2024

Newark Life Newark Life

Newark Life Spring/Summer 2024

Letter from the Editor:

Newark residents can do some pretty amazing things, and in this edition of Newark Life, we present a few different stories highlighting these individuals’ accomplishments.

This issue features a story entitled, “Near the top of the world,” that details how three current and former Newark residents achieved a monumental accomplishment by climbing to the base camp of Mount Everest, a height of 17,598 feet that sits beneath the tallest mountain the world.

This issue also offers the story of Kim Burdick, who authored Revolutionary Delaware: Independence in the First State. She also contributes to the Journal of the American Revolution, and her Revolutionary War activities include being founder and chairman of the American Revolution Round Table of Northern Delaware, president of the George Washington Society, and life member and Delaware chairman of the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Farewell Tour. She is also the resident site manager of the Hale-Byrnes House, one of Newark’s most historic buildings.

Jim Jones became interested in Newark history in the 1980s, when he was living in a Main Street apartment above a now-shuttered store called Braunstein’s. After serving in the Peace Corps in Swaziland, trying to hitchhike around the world, working as an agricultural laborer in the south of France, writing a book about crossing the Sahara, working as long-distance camping tour operator in North America, acquiring two advanced degrees in history, teaching history at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, serving on the West Chester Borough Council and other governmental bodies, Jones returned to Newark and started organizing walking tours of the city.

Newark Free Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and we take a look at some of the activities and programs coming up in the next few months.

The White Clay Creek State Park has grown considerably since it got a start at 24.3 acres in 1968. In this issue, we take a look at future plans for a park that now covers nearly 3,650 acres and attracts more than 300,000 visits a year.

The Q & A in this issue is with Nick Holmes and Kyle Hickey of Occupy Studio. Beginning in 2018, childhood friends Holmes and Hickey combined their experience in recording, mixing and mastering with providing opportunities for up-and-coming local musicians. Recently, Newark Life caught up with them between sessions to hear about their work, their industry and the local music scene.

At Jerry’s Artarama in Newark -- the subject of this edition’s photo essay -- artists of all ages, abilities and aspirations are given the tools they need to turn their ideas into reality.

We hope you enjoy these stories. Please contact us with comments and suggestions for future stories. In the meantime, we’ll be planning the next issue of Newark Life, which will arrive in the fall.

Living history

The

stories of

Kim Burdick, the Marquis de Lafayette and the Hale-Byrnes House

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

History has been part of Kim Burdick’s life since she was 3, when she started interviewing people for oral histories. Because she grew up “in the boondocks,” with no kids nearby to play with, she said that she often “sat on old people’s porches and asked them what they did as kids.”

By 8, she decided she wanted to be a museum docent. When it was her turn to pick the destination for family Sunday drives, she always selected The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

She later studied history and other subjects, graduating from the Cooperstown Graduate Program and the University of Delaware’s Biden School, then called the College of Urban Affairs. A longtime member of the Delaware Press Association and author of Revolutionary Delaware: Independence in the First State, she frequently contributes to the Journal of the American Revolution, with articles posted at allthingsliberty.com/author/kim-burdick.

Her Revolutionary War activities include being founder and chairperson of the American Revolution Round Table of Northern Delaware; president of the George Washington Society; and life member and Delaware chairperson of the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Farewell Tour.

She is also a retired adjunct professor at Delaware Technical Community College, where she taught American history, sociology and psychology; past executive director of People to People Delaware; advisor emerita for the National Trust for Historic Preservation; and national chairman emerita, Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.

And as resident site manager of the Hale-Byrnes House, she helps maintain a historic building – Washington met here on Sept. 6, 1777 – and keep that history alive.

“People will knock on the door and say, ‘I’ve been driving past here for 40 years and never been here before,’ and I say, ‘Come on in,’” she said.

All photos by Ken Mammarella

Since 2008, Kim Burdick has been the resident site manager of the Hale-Byrnes House, a state-owned historic property managed by the Delaware Society for the Preservation of Antiquities, which focuses on Revolutionary War history, historic preservation and the environment.

Lafayette’s Guest of the Nation tour

Burdick’s latest historical charge is as chair of the Delaware leg of the bicentennial celebration of Lafayette’s “Guest of the Nation” tour. (Details are at lafayette200.org.)

The marquis turned 20 the day of that meeting at the HaleByrnes House. “The childless general and the orphaned aristocrat … developed a surrogate father-son relationship,” according to Britannica.com, adding that Lafayette “distinguished himself among a large colorful group of European soldiers of fortune and idealists … to fight for American independence.”

Hundreds of events will trace Lafayette’s route on the exact dates he followed in 1824-25. Delaware’s itinerary starts at noon on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Robinson House near Claymont, moves down Route 13 to Brandywine

Village (Lafayette slept here in 1777 at the home of Joseph Tatnall), heads west to the Delaware Historical Society and ends at Jessop’s Tavern in Old New Castle.

“This is a big deal,” Burdick said of the plans for this fall.

And it was a very big deal 200 years ago. Lafayette back then was accompanied in Delaware at various times by cavalry, infantry, a civic guard, musicians, Freemasons and regular folks. Bridges and arches along the route were festooned with flowers, greenery, flags and art. He had dinner at Wilmington Town Hall, with toasts by a dozen dignitaries, with E. I. du Pont touting “the prosperity and happiness of the United States of America, a lesson to the world.”

Lafayette ended the day in New Castle, at the wedding of Dorcas Montgomery Van Dyke, whose father was a U.S. senator, and Charles Irénée du Pont.

The American Revolution Round Table commissioned Bryant White to create “Prelude to Brandywine” about a 1777 council of war at the Hale-Byrnes House.

Living History

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The house that Warwick Hale built

Around 1750, Warwick Hale built the first part of the house, on the White Clay Creek, near the confluence of the Red Clay Creek and the Christina River. In 1773, Quaker preacher Daniel Byrnes bought it, and a remodeling in the Georgian vernacular style gave it “the most modern kitchen in the area,” Burdick said, and that two-story service wing with its walk-in fireplace may have been a draw for family friend Robert Kirkwood to pick the place for the war council, three days after the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge and five days before the Battle of Brandywine. By 1960, the house was abandoned and threatened for demolition from plans that called for the widening of Route 7. The nonprofit Delaware Society for the Preservation of Antiquities acquired the house, with money from Carita Bowden, a du Pont heir enlisted

The Hale-Byrnes House, a Delaware Georgian brick house, is most famous for a September 1777 council of war that included the Marquis de Lafayette and generals George Washington, Anthony Wayne, Henry Knox, Robert Kirkwood and Nathanael Greene. The time-worn sycamore on the south lawn is a witness to that day.

by neighbors. When she appealed to to bureaucrats to save it, “They told her it was ‘an attractive nuisance.’

“‘She told them, ‘So am I,’” Burdick said.

The society turned over the property to the state in 1971 but ran it, with a live-in caretaker keeping nuisances away. Fast forward to early one morning in 2008: Burdick woke up, thinking about how the last caretaker had left. She emailed society President Barbara White asking, “Who’s living there now?”

The reply was short and to the point: “You are. When are you coming?”

So the Burdicks moved to 606 StantonChristiana Road from a Brandywine Hundred subdivision into Delaware’s first building to get a State Heritage Plaque.

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A spacious kitchen with a walk-in fireplace, built by Daniel Byrnes in 1775, was a draw for hosting all the people at the council of war.

Living History

Continued from Page 13

Burdick lives there with her husband, Ralph, who retired from his Delaware City medical practice at the end of 2023, and a cat named Kenny, well-known to the fishermen who frequent the banks of the creek.

“If their husbands are fishing, the women might start wandering around, and I let them in,” she said. “I love that. But I especially love it if there are kids to show around.”

When asked if she would like to live in the past, Burdick said that wasn’t that appealing.

“I like living now and telling about the past,” she said. “Chris Mlynarczyk keeps trying to get me into a costume for the 1st Delaware Regiment, but I’m a scholar, not a re-enactor.”

From the past and into the future

The house holds lots of period-appropriate furnishings and hosts speakers and meetings of the American Revolution Round Table. It is open for tours monthly and by appointment. It’s also available for rentals. (Details are at www. halebyrnes.org.)

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The house features period-appropriate furnishings. “If you lived here then, you could have had this,” Burdick said.

Living History

Continued from Page 14

In the fall of 2023, three groups of students in the Basics of Business course at the University of Delaware studied the house to “improve its vision and mission,” said adjunct professor David Burke, a former history teacher and owner of Enthusiastic Communications.

They were particularly interested in improving connections with younger people and volunteers and improving its social media and website. “Expand the brand,” he said, with the goal of “more funding, more visibility and more volunteers.”

Students used a concept called SWOT – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats – to assess the Hale-Byrnes House. Burdick visited the class twice, once to share information and the second time to watch their final presentations.

Their suggestions included more photos of people on the website and more events, perhaps featuring music and food, he said. In her earlier interview, Burdick talked about an afternoon tea.

One team visited the house for research, and members of another team said they would stay involved to help out.

“It’s a win-win,” Burke said, of the latter, noting the students benefit by continuing to develop and share their skills and the house and history benefit from their work. “I tell students the key to success is network, network, network.”

Objects laid out on a settee for children to handle include a beaver-chewed log, deer skull and antlers, a handmade turkey call and several maps and photographs.

Spinning wheels and hand-dyed yarns evoke the work of women at the time.

Near the top of the world

For three current and former Newark residents, climbing to the base camp of Mount Everest was a monumental accomplishment, achieved one step at a time

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

I needed to go . . . the pull of Everest was stronger for me than any force on earth.

— Tenzing Norgay

The South Base Camp at Mount Everest is located on the southern side of the Khumbu glacier in Nepal and holds the distinction of being the highest base camp in the world, with an elevation of 17,598 feet.

Carved into the topography of jagged ridgelines, the camp is generally considered the most crucial staging area for climbers who wish to ascend to the top of Mount Everest. The expedition to the South Base Camp increases in popularity each year, drawing more than 75,000 climbers to the Nepal Himalayas annually, who with the assistance of expedition teams made up of sherpas, endure a week-long journey that forces them to acclimatize to the changing temperatures and unforgiving inclines of a glacial valley.

Once they have reached the camp, trekkers are welcomed to a small city of colorful tents that lay at the mouth of the Khumbu Glacier. There, high above it, is what they come

to see: the snow-capped peak top of Mount Everest, the tallest point in the world at 29,029 feet above sea level, where only 6,600 human beings in the recorded history of mankind have ever reached.

When 51-year-old Newark resident Vishal Patel arrived at the airport in Nepal last October as part of a 14-day journey he would take to the South Base Camp and back, he was far from alone. With him on the flight were seven of his cousins, including brothers Manish Patel, 51, and Amit Patel, 47, who had both lived in Newark when they were younger. In all, the party ranged in age from 22 to 63 and all wore their hiking boots for the entire flight, as they were the most non-expendable item they had brought with them.

The expedition to Mount Everest was far from a maiden voyage for the Patel family. Indeed, their boots had already touched one of the most majestic peaks in the world. In June of 2014, they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet and the highest free-standing mountain in the world, that in many ways took its first steps in Newark when Vishal, Manish and Amit began training for their journey.

“Anywhere around Newark that you can hike, we hiked,” Vishal said. “We practiced walking along inclines, and

hiking with the same items we would carry with us on our climb at Mount Kilimanjaro. We tested ourselves for strength and endurance, and most of all, we learned how to walk slow in a natural cadence, because when you climb mountains, you have to learn how to slow yourself down.”

While Manish and Amit were preparing for the trip, they began to stoke the appetites for adventure in their other cousins.

“We approached one of our cousins first – who is now 63 -- with the idea of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, because he is ready for anything at any time,” Vishal said. “One by one, they all started coming, but at first many of us – including me -- were hesitant, but Amit told me that if you set a goal to accomplish something, it pushes you to prepare.”

In June of 2014, together with nearly one dozen of their

cousins, they began their ascent of one of the world’s largest mountains, where seemingly with little warning, they found themselves against the harsh terrain of slopes, inclines and valleys. There, they began to implement the most valuable philosophy of mountain climbing, one they practiced back in Newark: One step, not too fast and not too slow, followed by another and another.

“When I stopped for a minute, I would take in deep breaths in the shallow mountain air to give my lungs what they needed and drink several sips of water,” Vishal said. “I had to find my own pace. I made a goal to achieve 200 steps, and when I got to 200 steps, I would stop for a minute, and then begin again.”

For Manish, every step was an endurance test of will,

Continued on Page 20

All photos by Manish Patel, except when noted

Mount Everest

Continued from Page 19

complicated by exhaustion and the weight of a 30-pound backpack – steps that were often made in complete darkness, lit only by a head lamp.

“I became sick from the altitude, and I had no idea what was going on around me,” he said. “I had my guide assist me in the direction I needed to go, and he kept encouraging me to go slowly. On the last night before we were to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, I was very scared and anxious, coupled with the fact that I was tracking all this gear. My heart rate went up, and that’s when I realized that the only way I could reach the summit was to be able to control and calm my mind.”

The thrill of reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro led to the start of an every-other-year journey the Patels made that continued in 2016, when they ascended the 7,970-foot-tall mountain ridge of Machu Picchu, located in southern Peru. In 2018, they flew to Patagonia in Argentina, where they trekked along the southern section of the Andes mountains.

Photo by Richard L. Gaw Brothers and former Newark residents Amit and Manish Patel, left and center, joined their cousin, Newark resident Vishal Patel, right, and five of their cousins on a nine-day, 40-mile, 19,734-foot climbing adventure to the Mount Everest Base Camp last October.

Following the trail to Base Camp, the climbers navigated their way past small villages.

Following an interruption in their bi-annual treks caused by COVID-19, the family set their sites on Mount Everest, the “Goddess Mother of the World,” and last October, they arrived in Kathmandu, and then boarded a short flight to the Lukla Airport.

From there, their latest adventure – a 40-mile, one-way journey that would take them a total of nine days – was about to begin.

Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest, Sir? - Because it is there.

— George Leigh Mallory

In the art of mountain climbing, experience and preparation account for nearly everything.

In the general book of recommendations for ascending the world’s most challenging peaks, it is advised that the climber already have at least three years of climbing experience, as well as have knowledge of mountaineering, climbing and navigational skills, adjusting to high altitudes, low oxygen levels and yes, being able to control urination and bowel movements.

The collective mountain climbing resumes of Vishal, Manish, Amit and five of their cousins was full, but as

Continued on Page 22

In addition to battling a fluctuating climate and oxygen deficiency, the group endured several steep inclines.

Mount Everest

Continued from Page 21

they began their journey to South Base Camp, the expedition – assisted by Sherpas – required a different kind of endurance, one that saw weather conditions fluctuate between moderate to extremely cold. It tested their bodies as well as their psyches.

“For me, each mountain that we climbed had its own challenges, but Everest was the most challenging for all of us because we were older, but the temperature was definitely colder, so from day one as we climbed, the temperature became a factor,” Amit said. “From a physical standpoint, however, it was not as challenging as Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu or Patagonia, because I had better prepared myself and knew what I needed to work on based on my previous climbing experiences.”

In addition to climbing, Manish had another responsibility on the trip, as its official photographer.

Continued on Page 24

Along the trail, it was common to encounter farm animals, who serve as transportation sources for villagers up and down the mountain.

Mount Everest

Continued from Page 22

“My fear was in the fact that I was running around so much trying to get photographs of everyone, because it increased my level of fatigue,” Manish said. “My body began to work harder than it was used to which was exacerbated by the stress of the weight of my camera equipment and the obligation to take photos.”

Along the way, Manish documented each stage with illuminating images that captured the culture of Nepal, from tiny villages to Buddhist monasteries and transportation donkeys and yaks and villagers carrying household materials of incredible bulk and weight. They hiked along the Khumbu Glacier and over suspension bridges. During their time spent recuperating at Base Camp, Vishal, Manish, Amit and their five cousins saw the top of Mount Everest gleaming magnificent and majestic in the far distance. A day later, they were airlifted by Himalayan Adventure Treks & Tours Pvt. Ltd. off the mountain to Kathmandu and returned to the United States.

How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.

— Yvon Chouinard

For the thousands of climbers who make the 9-14-day pilgrimage to the Mount Everest Base Camp, it is estimated that there are an equal number of reasons for doing so. For many, it is an opportunity to embark on a challenge and seek a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, while for others, it’s a born restlessness wrapped in a thrill-seeking nature that needs to be tended to.

In keeping with two-year timing of their expeditions, the next adventure for Vishal, Manish and Amit Patal and their cousins is set for 2026, and while no specific mountain range has been determined, a few destinations are already on their discussion radar. Their advice for those seeking to climb mountains is very simple: Age means very little as long as you have the willpower, so engage your willpower and seek your reasons.

“For the most part, people live their lives every day and are busy running around, but rarely do they get to experience something on their own that is truly profound,” Vishal said. “They go through life grinding each day without ever knowing what they are truly capable of doing or learning about themselves and the world. Whether you make it to

Continued on Page 26

The climbers took a well-deserved break during their journey to Base Camp.

Mount Everest

Continued from Page 24

the top or not doesn’t matter. It has to do with preparing yourself to experience new things, new limits, new places and new people.

“Mountain climbing is truly a daily adventure being with nature and its amazing beauty and local people and culture. It’s a daily test of physical and mental endurance but there is something so tranquil and majestic about it.”

“For me, the first trip we made to Mount Kilimanjaro was the most monumental and life changing, but with each passing trip, we continue to learn about how much these journeys teach us about life, the ability we all have to endure challenges, and the amount we can push through,” Amit said. “Through these journeys, I have learned that pain is a limitation that can be erased, and you don’t realize how much your body can endure until you go through these mental and physical obstacles.

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Mount Everest

Continued from Page 26

“When we got to Base Camp on Mount Everest, we realized that it turned out to just be a point, and that it was the entire journey that we came to accomplish. It reminds us of what is truly most important in life.”

To learn more about the Mount Everest journey that Vishal, Amit and Manish took, visit Himalayan Adventure Treks & Tours Pvt. Ltd., www.himalayanadventuretreks. com. Contact: Prakash Adhikari, Tel.: 977-981-840-2259.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty. com.

From base camp, the hikers in the Patel party were able to set their sights at the top of Mount Everest, which at more than 29,000 feet is the highest point in the world.

Mount Everest

Base Camp Trek Overview

Distance – 120 km/75 miles round-trip or 40 miles one-way Days required – 9-14 days

Total ascent – 6015 m/19,734 feet

Total descent – 5821 m/19,097 feet Degree of difficulty – difficult

Nick Holmes and Kyle Hickey of Occupy Studio

Nick Holmes and Kyle Hickey of Occupy Studio

Beginning in 2018, childhood friends Nick Holmes and Kyle Hickey – both 33 – combined their experience in recording, mixing and mastering with providing opportunities for up-and-coming local musicians to create Occupy Studio in Newark, an incubator of dreams, ideas and sound. Recently, Newark Life caught up with them between sessions to hear about their work, their industry and the local music scene.

You arrived at Occupy Studio with nearly two decades of collective audio engineering experience. Who did you learn from, and what did they teach you about the recording industry?

Newark Life: How did the two of you first meet?

Kyle: We first met in the second grade when we were growing up in Elkton. We played on the same football team football together and gained a passion for working together early on. We eventually became best friends to the point where my mom would drop me off at Nick’s house and his mom would take us to the bus stop in the mornings. We were like brothers.

How did your friendship lead you to eventually getting into the studio recording industry?

Kyle: As far as formal education, the teacher we learned the most from was John LaRosa at the Florida Institute of Recording Sound and Technology. He was an incredible teacher and full of life. He believed in the power of ambition, and he was also extremely talented, and in addition to teaching, he was involved in a lot of projects. We were proud to be under his wing and excelled in his class and he leaned on us. Nick and I have a lot of belief in our abilities, and a lot of that first came when we were learning from John.

Nick: In high school, Kyle became interested in recording both of us playing music with our friends in his mother’s basement, using the Rock Band microphone through his computer. We had a lot of fun, and then Kyle began to get more curious about recording and became more immersed in it through the use of additional software. Kyle then moved to Florida, where he attended the Florida Institute of Recording Sound and Technology in Orlando. Eventually, I attended the school, as well. Once we had finished school and moved back to Elkton in 2017, we both thought, “Why don’t we open up a music recording studio in Newark?”

Nick: At that time Kyle was expecting a first child and I said, “Are you sure man? You’re about to have a baby,” and Kyle said, “Let’s put on a parachute and take the leap!”

Kyle: My daughter was born in December 2017.

Nick: We signed a lease in January 2018, and we opened Occupy Studio in May 2018.

of am talented, a involved i to be u have a lo lear Ni a hos treat p as equa important –

Nick: I learned from John that this is a hospitality industry, and the way you treat people and the mood you bring are as equally important – sometimes more important – than the technical aspects of the industry. You are expected to know how to record a vocal, but you’re also expected to treat people well and communicate with them, and if they’re in the studio with you, to take care of their needs. That’s what we bring to Occupy Studio.

When this edition of Newark Life comes out in May, there will be at least one young musician who will read this who believes he or she has musical talent, and moreover, harbors the dream of wanting to lay down tracks of his or her songs. How does Occupy Studio make that dream happen?

Nick: I try to be active in the community, so sometimes we find them and sometimes they find us. We will give a listen to their demos and tell them, “This is what we can do for you here at Occupy Studio.” Once they’re here, we will record, mix, master and collaborate. Collaboration is the best part of a studio like this – being able to work with different people on different kinds of music. Once the recording is complete, we give distribution tips in helping them get their music out into the world.

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Photos by Richard L. Gaw Nick Holmes, left, and Kyle Hickey have owned and operated Occupy Studio since 2018.

Occupy Studio

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Kyle: Many times, it comes down to us being able to ask the right questions, and that in turn creates a domino effect that illuminates how we can work proactively to create that person’s art. Asking the right questions comes with experience and we’ve been doing this for a while, so we know what questions to ask, whether it is to a new artist or someone who has been recording for some time.

Who comes to Occupy

Studio?

Nick: We have had the pleasure to work with so many people in the music industry -- from Toronto to Los Angeles to Miami. Locally, we work with bands and solo artists that include singer-songwriters, rap musicians and pop singers. We also record audio books and a variety of other projects.

What is the best advice you can give that young musician who is anxious to get out of his or her bedroom and share their music with the world?

Nick: I would encourage them to create through whatever means they have. If they have a big budget and are

willing to spend money on the recording of an album at a professional studio like Occupy Studio, then do it. If they only have a $40 microphone and free software at home to work with, then record their songs at home and put them out there for the world, and hopefully begin to make some money and put that money back into their life as an artist.

There was a period in Newark during the 1970s and early 1980s when Newark was a hotbed for emerging musical talent, and much of it was showcased at the Stone Balloon, the Deer Park Tavern and other venues. You are located right on Main Street. Are you seeing any signs of a reemergence of that era in Newark nowadays?

Nick: Just before COVID-19 arrived in 2020, I got the sense that a lot of Newark venues were gatekeeping in terms of their using the same artists over and over again, in order to draw a regular crowd of customers. Now that COVID-19 is over, things are starting to blossom again. I will open up Occupy Studio in the morning and see a flyer

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Occupy Studio

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promoting an upcoming show under the door, and that is an indicator that there is a grassroots network of musicians doing small shows around town, and I think these businesses are beginning to learn that there is money to be made by showcasing these young artists. I am very optimistic about where the local music scene is headed.

Dr. Dre. Brian Eno. George Martin. Rick Rubin. Don Was. Brian Wilson. Every creative person learns from the masters that work in their same field. What does the best in the music recording and producing industry teach you?

Kyle: Oddly enough, I don’t really draw inspiration from others in the music recording industry. I’ve never been the type to draw inspiration from others, but my inspiration tends to come from just doing it and determining if it works or doesn’t work.

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From its intimate studio, Occupy Studio records the work of a wide variety of recording artists.

Occupy Studio

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Nick: Philosophically, I respect Rick Rubin’s outlook on the process of making music, which is to get two or three musicians in the room with two or three producers in the room, that works from the framework of ‘Let’s just try this.’ I like keeping an open mind, so if a musician asks me, Can you turn that reverb up?” I may be reluctant to do so in my mind, but I submit to the artist as if to say, “Let’s just try it,” because something really cool could come out that may change the whole sound of a recording.

What do you both enjoy most about what you do at Occupy Studio?

Kyle: I am so proud to have a place right here on Main Street that people who are looking to further their musical careers don’t have to go off the beaten path to find. I love the fact that we are able to touch so many people in the music community. Some of the people we have employed have gone on to bigger and better things and they have told us that they would not have been able to get to that level without us. Hearing that gratitude and seeing how we’ve changed their lives and career paths for the better is my favorite aspect of this studio.

Nick: I love the fact that we built this studio ourselves with the help of our families. I love that we get to design our own merchandise, design the space, and I love that we have an outlet to express ourselves in a creative way.

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Occupy Studio is located within a short walk of some of the most wellknown musical venues in Newark.

Occupy Studio

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What is your favorite spot in Newark?

Nick: I like walking on The Green at the University of Delaware. I also like Little Goat Coffee. Sometimes I am in the studio for as many as 14 hours, so it’s nice to stop in, grab a tea and take a quick mental break.

Kyle: I enjoy walking up and down Main Street and do some people watching.

This is a question for each of you. You throw a dinner party and can invite anyone, living or not, famous or not. Who would you like to see around that table?

Nick: I would want to have a good time and I love comedians, so my idea would be to invite Robin Williams and Jim Carrey. I’m also a big fan of sci-fi, so I’d also like to invite Chewbacca and Yoda.

Kyle: I would invite Jesus and his 12 Disciples. I would like to sit and learn from them and ask questions.

What food or beverage can always be found in your refrigerator?

Kyle: Yogurts and applesauce and homemade lemonade and sweet tea.

Nick: I am a leftovers guy. My girlfriend will bring me leftovers from the dinners she has with her family, so that’s what you will always see in my refrigerator.

Occupy Studio is located at 170 East Main Street in Newark, Del. To learn more, visit www.occupystudio.com, contact (302) 223-4441, or visit them on Facebook and Instagram.

~ Richard L. Gaw

2024 UPCOMING EVENTS

Spring Concert Series

Every Thursday

May 9 - June 6 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Academy Building Lawn

Spring Clean out and Flea Market

May 11, 2024, 8:00 AM–12:00 PM

George Wilson Center Time to clean out your garage, attic or basement. Join other flea marketers

Newark Memorial Day Ceremony

May 19, 2024, 1:00 PM @ Ceremony on the UD Green - Parade on Main St

4th of July Fireworks

July 4, 2024, 6:00 PM–8:00 PM U of D Athletics Complex (896)

National Night Out

August 6, 2024, 6:00 PM–8:00 PM

Newark Police Department, University of Delaware Police Department and Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company will host the annual event in Downtown Newark to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

National Day of Service

September 11, 2024, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM, Olan Thomas Park

Patriot Day in Newark. Join the City of Newark in volunteering at Olan Thomas Park in honor of this day. Volunteers are essential in taking care of our Parks.

What’s chalked o

White Clay Creek St

out for tate Park

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

White Clay Creek State Park began very small, with the state buying 24.3 acres in 1968. Today – following donations, purchases and acquisitions from du Pont family members, the DuPont Co. and other landowners – the park is very large, on its way to covering nearly 3,650 acres.

“We’d like all of our parks to grow,” said Ray Bivens, director of the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation. “But the really unusual part of its history is how developed the area already was. There’s very little like this on the I-95 corridor from Baltimore to Philadelphia.”

“The lush greenery, vast landscapes and sparkling streams of White Clay Creek State Park offer a refreshing change of pace from the surrounding growth of development,” the park’s 2021 master plan says early on. It’s “a vital protected area of scenic and recreational open space,” its official online profile says, also noting that the creek itself has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River.

Fans vote with their feet, their bicycle pedals and whatever else they use to reach the park for relaxation, exercise, sports and even commuting. The park logs at least 300,000 visits a year.

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All photos Courtesy of DNREC/Delaware State Parks White Clay Creek State Park showcases its titular waterway and an impressive network of other landscapes and activities.

White Clay Creek State Park has expanded by 8 percent, thanks to a 275acre addition on its northeast side.

White Clay Creek State Park

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For the master plan, the division surveyed users on what they wanted to change. The top answer was “nothing,” and “no more pavement” was No. 3. More bike trails and features was No. 2; more trails was No. 4; and more pedestrian-only trails was No. 5.

Bivens considers the survey “a validation that we’re doing a good job,” and even though the master plan outlines 63 action items, he doesn’t think all of them will be accomplished, so visitors can expect to see more of the same, and why? It’s because that is the way they prefer it.

The latest expansion

In January, Delaware announced a 275-acre expansion of the park, which it called “the last major privately owned land within the park.”

The boundaries of the park are complex. Its western edges are roughly formed by Route 896 and the Pennsylvania state line. On the north and east, it sometimes reaches out to Corner Ketch and Paper Mill roads. One 505-acre section, called the Judge Morris Estate, lies disconnected at the foot of Paper Mill, so it is no surprise that it has 10 public access points for vehicles and 35 for those using trails.

The latest addition is a du Pont family estate known as Rocky Hill. It comes from Sabrina du Pont-Langenegger (great-great-great-greatgreat-granddaughter of E.I. du Pont) and her husband Conrad Langenegger. To help the state with the task of budgeting for big expenses, they split the donation into three pieces, closing the deals over several months. In a tribute to her father, William K. du Pont, they gave a $1.3 million endowment through the Delaware Community Foundation to support Delaware State Parks. They also kept about 93 acres.

Gov. John Carney said “it represents the largest investment and private partner contributions” to a project under Delaware’s Open Space Program, which, since 1990, has added 45,000 acres to Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control holdings. The program also supports holdings of the Delaware Forest Service and the state’s Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

The $26 million project was made possible with $19.5 million from the program and $6 million secured from Mt. Cuba Center through The Conservation Fund. The project was also awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through Walmart’s Acres for America program. This is the first time Acres for America has funded a project in Delaware.

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The park has about 40 miles of trails. A 2021 master plan calls for adding more and abandoning some.

One group helping the park is the Wilmington Trail Club. Since 2017, Terri Tipping (in the maroon jacket) has been leading a trail club effort to eradicate invasive plants. “It’s kind of like weeding the forest,” she told WHYY in 2021.

White Clay Creek in 2000 was declared a National Wild and Scenic River.

White Clay Creek State Park

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“It is a testament to Delaware’s long tradition of building partnerships to achieve major conservation outcomes,” said Blaine Phillips, senior vice president at The Conservation Fund. For state parks, such partnerships include Bellevue (another du Pont estate) and Cape Henlopen (a former military site).

Trails, trails and trails

“The largest asset of this park is its network of landscapes that allows visitors to be immersed in the natural environment,” the master plan writes. “Minimizing development is important for aesthetic and environmental reasons. The things people enjoy most about the park are trails, nature, biking and hiking/walking. About 75 percent of comments mentioned one or more of these topics. … The most common comment was to prevent any dramatic change in the feel of the park.”

An impressive network of trails allows people to explore the park and, surprisingly, for people to commute to the University of Delaware. The 40 miles or so of trails in White Clay represent a quarter of the trails in state parks, and park leaders recognize there are competing interests for them.

For instance, bird watchers who savor silence to hear birds might be bothered by joggers listening to music. Pedestrians and folks pushing baby carriages might be concerned by speedy e-bikers.

“Some activities don’t mesh well,” Bivens said. “Our job is to balance.” That’s why one action item is promoting trail etiquette. More trails could also spread out usage. The master plan maps out lots of trails to be retained, a large number of trails proposed and a small number of trails to be abandoned.

Officials are considering extended-use permits that would allow use of some trails from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., a boon for people who want to be outdoors in the winter.

Officials are also considering enhancing the environment by setting aside acreage as a nature preserve and perhaps limiting pesticides and herbicides on the 600 acres leased as farmland.

No more yard waste

“Communities of native plants, migrating and nesting bird, and many other species rely on White Clay Creek’s woodlands, stream valleys and ridges,” said Ann C. Rose, Mt. Cuba Center’s president.

They also want to manage the park better for its flora and fauna, especially the invasive plants that dominate the understory. One move in that fight is from the Wilmington Trail Club, which regularly unites volunteers to remove the invasives. Another is closing a yard waste disposal site.

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Bicycling is a popular activity in the park.

White Clay Creek State Park

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The disposal site, on Polly Drummond Hill Road, “has also been abused by contractors, non-residents and illegal dumping. Sediment and aesthetic concerns have increased,” the master plan says.

When Delaware banned yard waste from landfills in 2007, it set up three “demonstration” sites where people could, for free, drop off branches, brush, leaves and grass clippings. Sites at a DART facility near Bear and at Bellevue State Park have already closed, after drawing complaints by workers and neighbors. The White Clay site was closed for a bit in early 2023 after two suspicious fires.

Officials plan to open the White Clay drop-off site this season and are talking to officials at the Delaware Solid Waste Authority about alternatives when they permanently close it.

Interesting possibilities in the plan include adding campsites, plus all-season restrooms and water fountains. The initial costs of a campground could hit $1 million, but it would make money in the long term and fulfill a surging demand.

New uses for old buildings

Several of the top-ranked items involve some of the park’s 75 buildings. About half are underutilized. Many need work. Some could be demolished. Identifying and using a single, clear name for each building is an unranked part of the plan.

Ranked No. 1 is converting the Chambers House into a welcome center and offices and using the Robinson House as staff housing, with trail access to new displays about the history of the area, including an old recommendation to dam the White Clay and create a reservoir. This project, for facilities off Hopkins Road, would increase space for school programs and summer camps – which Bivens said are at capacity – and other activities. The Chambers House can only accommodate groups of about 25, and school groups regularly number 90.

Other highly ranked projects nearby involve adding an education building, for programming and rentals, and restrooms; and redesigning the road access and parking.

It wants to move the park office to the Maxwell House, off Wedgewood Road. As the plan bluntly says: the current office has limited parking, no cellphone reception, no meeting space and accessibility challenges. It is also not easy to find and is far from other facilities and organized activities.

The park wants to find tenants for the Nivens Complex, the Lamborn Estate (a “bed and breakfast, corporate retreat, reception center, business offices [and] wedding party accommodations” are among the possibilities listed in the master plan) and the 1790s Judge Morris Estate. “We’re wide open” to what might be offered from these facilities, Bivens said, citing the zip line and horseback riding at Lums Pond State Park and the tennis center and wedding venue at Bellevue State Park.

The park now has partnerships with a full-service golf course (Deerfield), a remote controlled aircraft club (Silent Knights Soaring Society) and others.

To learn more about the White Clay Creek State Park, visit www.destateparks.com.

The park hosts children in summer camps and for school programs.

Owner

|Newark Life Photo Essay|

creative SHAPING OUR JOURNEY

At Jerry’s Artarama in Newark, artists of all ages, abilities and intentions are given the tools they need to turn their ideas into reality

No matter who walks through the doors of Jerry’s Artarama in Newark – whether he or she is a youngster accompanied by parents to gather materials for a school project or a weekend watercolorist searching for a canvas or an commune with artisan paints and illustration boards and colors – the tools that shape their creative journey.

Photos by Jim Coarse | Text by Richard L. Gaw

Jerry’s Artarama|

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“We want people to be unafraid to come into the art world.”

Jerry’s Artarama|

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nationwide, is an incubator of ideas that comes accompanied by its friendly and knowledgeable staff: store manager Dave Bart, Talisa Baptiste, Bryan DeProspero, Connor McDaniel, Joanne Moyer, Jacob O’Neal and James Stokes.

of Delaware, DeProspero splits his time between teaching as an adjunct professor and assisting customers at Jerry’s Artarama.

“The magic of Jerry’s Artarama is best seen in the way we all exude a sense of welcomeness to everyone who walks in,” he said. “This feeling

with our customers and spend the time to know them and understand what their personal needs are. As an educator, I am interested in what people are trying to achieve and how I can help what someone’s vision is, and how it intersects with the materials they are using and how I can get them to a desired outcome.”

“Primarily, we work with people who really just want to freewheel with art,” Bart said. “We partner with several art guilds and schools in the area, but we also work with parents who pick up a pencil and a free sketch book here for their

that their child is a legitimate artist. We help those encourage them to pursue that creative path.”

Jerry’s Artarama is located at 269 South Main Street in Newark. To learn more, visit www. store.delaware-jerrys.com.

Newark Free Libr

Photo credit: Copyright Pam Stevens

Library is celebrating anniversary this year

By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer

In 2024, the Newark Free Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary all year long. Keep an eye on the online calendar for an array of special events and programs throughout the year.

The Newark Free Library is a branch of the New Castle County Library System, and it offers an outstanding array of services to the community, including print and non-print materials; computers and wireless Internet access; meeting and study rooms; and vibrant programs for all ages. Additional support and advocacy for the library are provided by a volunteer non-profit organization, The Friends of the Newark Free Library.

The library’s calendar is filled with fun activities and interesting programs this spring and summer. Here’s a look at a few of them:

An Evening with Coda Brass

Wednesday, May 8, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Coda Brass will present an evening of diverse musical styles and genres, including a new work by composer Julienne Tsang. The Coda Brass Quintet is an ensemble of five women brass players dedicated to building collaboration among women.

An Evening with Pyxis Piano Trio

Wednesday, May 22, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Join the Pyxis Piano Trio for a recital of classical music for violin, cello, and piano representing different periods and styles.

Author talk, book signing and free book giveaway for young readers with Kate Albus Wednesday, May 29, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Kate Albus is an award-winning author of historical fiction for young readers with works such as, A Place to Hang the Moon and Nothing Else But Miracles.

Horey-Swinchoski Duo: North (and South!) of the Border Saturday, June 1, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

A performance by faculty members from The Music School of Delaware. Scotty Horey is an internationally renowned solo percussionist and teacher, whose performances have taken him throughout the U.S., Mexico, and countries

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Photo credit: Copyright Pam Stevens

The Newark Free Library has served the community for the last 50 years. A new building project is being planned to serve the community for decades to come.

Newark Free Library

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around the world. Margaret Swinchoski is an awardwinning flutist who currently holds the principal flute chair with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players Orchestra, and is a founding member of the Palisades Virtuosi with over 100 commissions of new music to her credit.

English and Irish Inspirations: Romantic works for clarinet and piano Wednesday, June 12, 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

University of Delaware faculty members Christopher Nichols, clarinet, and Christine Delbeau, piano, present a program of lush, romantic music from across the Atlantic. This program intersperses traditional folk music from the United Kingdom with western classical music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Villiers Stanford, Howard Ferguson, and Roma Cafolla.

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Photo credit: Copyright Pam Stevens

Photo credit: Copyright Pam Stevens

at the library.

Newark Free Library

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Author talk, book signing and free book giveaway for children by Erin Entrada Kelly Saturday, June 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Erin Entrada Kelly is an award-winning author of children’s literature. She has received the John Newbery Medal for her third novel, Hello, Universe, and the Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, her second novel. Her work is on the New York Times bestseller list.

The Unsung Heroes of Jazz Wednesday, June 26, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The Unsung Heroes of Jazz, a combo consisting of trumpeter Matt Gerry, pianist Jon Williams, drummer Jeff Dombchik, bassist Joe Test, Saxophonist Matt Casarino and vocalist Tina Sheing, will perform an evening of jazz standards that have stood the test of time.

The library’s events are free and some require registration, which is as simple as clicking a QR code for the online calendar, calling 302-731-7550, visiting delawarelibraries.libcal.com/calendar/Newark, or newcastlede.gov/333/ Newark-Free-Library.

Regular programing includes a variety of musical programs to meet every taste as well as the Friday Night Film Series geared toward an adult audience on the first Friday of each month, and the monthly Family Movie Time for everyone. There are also a variety of clubs for children, teens and adults, as well as groups like the Tuesday Evening Book Group on the third Tuesday of each month, which has been meeting for over 20 years and always welcomes new members.

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There are comfortable spaces for everyone at the Newark Free Library.

Photo credits: Copyright Pam Stevens

Newark Free Library

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For those who do not want to worry about returns, there is a wide selection of items to purchase at the library’s used book sale. Shop every day with new lower prices starting at just 25 cents for children’s books and small paperbacks, .50 cents for large paperbacks and music CDs, and $1 for hardback books, magazine bundles, and DVDs. All proceeds benefit the library.

As the library is celebrating 50 years of serving the community, there are plans to construct a new building in the same location that will be designed to meet the needs of the region for decades to come. These plans include a new, two-story, 40,000-square-

There are a lot of games to enjoy at the library.

foot library building at the current site, and is expected to open in the fall of 2026.

The Newark Free Library is located at 750 Library Ave. The library is open Monday through Wednesday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The library is closed Thursdays.

For more information, call 302-731-7550 or check out the library’s Facebook page at Newark Free Library.

Photo credit: Copyright Pam Stevens

Photo credit: Copyright Pam Stevens

Walking through Newark’s past with Jim Jones Walking through Newark’s past with Jim Jones

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

Dr. Jim Jones became interested in Newark history in the 1980s, when he was living in a Main Street apartment above a now-shuttered store called Braunstein’s.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is an odd building. I wonder what the story is,’” he said. “Looking out the window, there was the Newark Opera House, and I knew that was not the typical building for this town.

“Since I drove buses first for one of the contractors for the school district and then the University of Delaware, I got a lot of experience driving around town. And I thought our street network was woefully inadequate. There are only three streets that go east-west across town: Cleveland Avenue, Main Street and Delaware Avenue as a pair and then Park Place. … How come?”

Such questions gestated in his mind for decades. After serving in the Peace Corps in Swaziland, trying to hitchhike around the world, working as an agricultural laborer in the south of France, writing a book about crossing the Sahara, working as long-distance camping tour operator in North America, acquiring two advanced degrees in history, teaching history at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, serving on the West Chester Borough Council and other governmental bodies, leading well-researched walking tours of West Chester and retiring back to Newark, he realized that Newark – which he called “a walkable town” and “a great town” – lacked something that he could provide. That would be walking tours.

What is history?

Since his first tours in 2018, Jones has curated a dozen itineraries, offered through the Newark Historical Society and the Newark Parks & Recreation Department. He donates his time to researching and running the tours, which are free for participants, except for the seasonal ghost tours.

Information about upcoming tours is available on NewarkHistoryDE.com. Jones invites questions and answers about Newark history at jjones@wcupa.edu.

He’s also writing a book – or maybe two, since he has so much information to share – about Newark history, and he’s been talking to the society about publishing the work.

“History is whatever happens in the past … that is part of the answer to any question that interests you,” he said. When asked how his own home – an unassuming house from the 1960s, which he shares with his wife, University of Delaware German professor Ester Riehl – could be part of history, he immediately offered several ways.

“If I was trying to talk about how America changed after World War II, the roles of the automobile or the patterns of homeownership, there’s something I could say about it.”

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Photo by Johannes Hoernemann Jim Jones researching family history in Germany.

Illustration provided by Jim Jones

Photo (left) courtesy of Jim Jones Jim Jones leads a group of intrepid history buffs through the woods near the old Thompson railroad station in White Clay Creek State Park.

Positive reaction to the tours

“There are no better-researched history tours than those presented by Dr. Jim Jones,” said Mary Torbey, curator of the Newark History Museum.

“You will get all the historical facts, the inside scoop and probably a good laugh as well. He is an expert at drawing conclusions about the ways that the people, businesses, schools, social clubs and organizations in this small community have been historically connected. Our three-way relationship with Dr. Jones, the Newark Parks & Recreation Department and the Newark Historical Society has increased both the citizens’ interest in Newark’s history and support for historic preservation.

“Dr. Jones has been talking about publishing a book on Newark history, and we enthusiastically support his efforts. Like the proceeds from the Historic Ghost Tours, he has offered to share the proceeds from his book with the Newark Historical Society. His forthcoming book fills a need for a comprehensive, scholarly history of Newark.”

LICENSED AND INSURED

Ghost

Bob McBride is a longtime Delaware history enthusiast who has been on several walks with Jones.

•Driveways

•Sidewalks | Curbs

•Stamped concrete

•Masonry 6066 SUMMIT

“Jim and I share a lot of old time Newark knowledge from the 1970s, and we both wondered why the town developed in the way that it did,” McBride said. “Jim decided to find out about that. He did so in great depth, searching out old maps, and reading deed and real estate purchase records to tell the story.

“The walks are a great way to share Jim’s knowledge with everyone as we literally walk through Newark history and see what’s still here and what has disappeared.

“The most interesting thing we have learned on Jim’s walks is why the now CSX railroad underpasses are so low. The reason why so many trucks get stuck in them today. The second most interesting thing learned was why Newark had two historic railroad stations and why the second station to be built was the one in the middle of town.”

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Photo courtesy of Jim Jones

Tours, which visit sites like the Episcopal Cemetery on Delaware Avenue, sell out every year.

Photo courtesy of Jim Jones

Jones’ background and insights

Jones moved to Newark in 1972 to attend UD, and his first degree was a bachelor’s in mathematics. He kept a post office box in Newark as he was exploring the world and returned to UD for a master’s degree in modern European history and a doctorate in modern African history.

His books include Making Camel Commercials, on traveling in the Sahara; Industrial Labor in the Colonial World: The African Workers of the Chemin de Fer Dakar-Niger, based on his doctoral dissertation; Made in West Chester; and Railroads of West Chester.

Cleveland Avenue opened in 1884 on land donated in part by Theodore Armstrong. He built this twin house in 1887 to encourage the sale of building lots, but it took 27 years before the last lot was sold.

of Jim

Jones first noticed this building looming over the much smaller houses that surround it, and was surprised to learn, not only that it had started out on Main Street as the home of one of Newark’s most influential business owners, Samuel B. Wright, but that it had been moved twice before it reached its current location between Chapel and Haines streets.

Along the way, he acquired fluency in French and German and varying levels of understanding of Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Flemish, si-Swazi and Bamanakan. Such linguistic prowess has helped him research his own genealogy, as far back as the 1670s.

“My people are all peasants, except for one branch that included mostly executioners,” he said.

One interesting tale he has uncovered involves that house that sits by itself on the edge of the Newark Cemetery. “It’s not that I know more than anyone else, but I am willing to do the tedious work of dissecting deeds, census data, court records and other old documents,” he said. “As a result, most of what I learn just confirms what other people know, and occasionally I find something that no one else has come upon, like the identity of the former slave who built the house at 65 N. Chapel Street.”

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Photo courtesy of Jim Jones

Photo courtesy

Jones

Photo courtesy of Jim Jones Details like the bricked-up arched windows on the side of this Main Street building led Jones to unusual discoveries. This structure was built for the Bank of Newark, which was located here from 1901 to 1925.

Photo courtesy of Jim Jones

The area known as Deandale offers a scenic look at Newark’s earliest industries, which included water-powered mills to manufacture paper and wool cloth.

Another tidbit involves the brick house at North College and East Cleveland avenues. “It looks odd,” he said, “like a little castle,” more impressive than neighbors. It was built by Theodore Armstrong, an entrepreneur who made his money as a retailer and donated some of the land to create Cleveland Avenue. That grand house was intended to be a model of what could be built nearby.

A third involves the triangular parking lot to the east of Herman’s, the butcher on Cleveland Avenue. The odd shape reflects the path of a buried stream.

And Newark’s frustrating street pattern? The town began on Main (early records don’t even name the street) and then haphazardly grew, with Delaware Avenue, Park Place and then Cleveland Avenue developing in bits and pieces as residential streets. And the arrival of the B&O Railroad in the 1880s blocked a lot of crosstown access to the east.

Photo courtesy of Jim Jones Jones describes the passage of British troops through Newark in 1777 when the house in the background – now UD’s Elliott Hall – was under construction.